Find Me Online

Monday, February 6, 2012

The Beginning of Marketing for Authors Who Normally Hate Marketing

Okay, so I'm going to present at LTUE this week (and if you live anywhere close to Utah, you should come!) and one of the panels I'm sitting on is a marketing panel.

So most of us are creative minded people when it comes to authoring books. Then, when your book sells, you’re suddently thrust into the position of thinking about another side of writing.

The business side. The side where you promote and talk about yourself and your books. Most authors are terrified of this. There are entire blogs dedicated to helping authors become effective marketers. (This is not one of those blogs, but I am going to share with you my experiences over the next couple of weeks.) Have you seen Shrinking Violet Promotions? If not, I highly recommend it.

So first, there are three easy steps to determining your marketing strategy.

1. Stalk. That’s right, stalk. Lurk. Hang out in the back with a black hoodie on and listen. Watch. Take notes of what you like, of what you think is fun, of what you think you might like to do.

I’ve been stalking Beth Revis for years. You should too. I adore everything Saundra Mitchell writes, including her mega-helpful marketing stuff. (<<<If you haven't seen this, you will die. D-I-E.) I also like to randomly pop in to other author’s blogs and websites and see what they look like, what content they have both dynamically and statically, what contests they run, what swag they’re giving away, etc.

I stalk. I take note of what I like and then I move to step 2.

2. Steal. I know, I know. I’m making you into a criminal! Well, marketing—which is so left-brained—is criminal to a right-brained creative artist. So trust me, you’re already knocking on that door.

Through all of your stalking, you’ll see some things you like. Steal them. That’s right. Put them on your list of things you’d like to do before your book comes out, during the release of your book, and after your book comes out.

Make a big list. You won’t do everything, because let’s face it, you’re not Oprah and you don’t have millions to spend. (Also, many of the authors I stalk get a lot of help from their publishing houses. They have reach and dollars I simply can’t match. But everything goes on the list, whether it comes from the author or the publisher.)

I use a spreadsheet (surprise, surprise, Ms. Math Minor) to keep track of the marketing ideas I like. I include a website address that will refresh my memory if I’ve forgotten exactly what the idea looked like.

Which leads us to step 3…

3. Mutate. That’s right. X-Men, baby! (Love Wolverine.) Examine your ginormous list of possibilities and mutate the bigger ones that you really love into something you can manage with both hours and dollars.

But I'm not looking for good. I'm looking for something different. And I don't mean you need to spend lots of money on swag or giveaways. I just mean I'm always trying to think of how I can take a postcard and make it into something more than a postcard.

And so I watch and listen and take notes, and then I mutate the ideas I see out there into something I can own, something I can manage, and something I can fund.

Easy, right? Riiight.

So are you out there stalking? Do you have a spreadsheet with ideas? My philosophy? It's never too early to start! Next week I'll talk about what I think every author should do. I call it my The Basic Marketing Plan for Authors Who Have Bills To Pay Too.

I'm not even close to needing to market anything, but I am a big advocate of stalking. It's the primary way I picked up my CPs - finding contest entries I liked and then pestering them till they let me read their MSs. :D

Yes, I take note of things authors do all the time.Have you ever seen gift cards? The gift card has the cover of the book on it. You could do quite a bit with this. You have to shop around but the cost is not that much.Just another idea to throw out.

I haven't started a spreadsheet of marketing ideas, though that, in itself, is a great idea. I've stalked a few people, like Beth Revis, as well. I've participated in and seen some great book launches by indie authors that thoroughly impressed me.

I have not set up spreadsheets or given this much thought. When I had a short story anthology to promote, I did a mini blog tour to get a sense of what it would be like to do a big one. It didn't seem like the time to get all fancy. It's probably not a good idea to start taking notes until I have an agent and/or book contract.

I've made mental notes, but you are so right about writing things down. Perhaps my fear is that I'll be counting my chickens before they hatch if I write marketing ideas down, but still . . . Great post!

Elana Johnson is the author of the YA dystopian romance novels in the POSSESSION trilogy. ELEVATED and SOMETHING ABOUT LOVE are YA contemporary novels-in-verse, and she has a futuristic fantasy series, the Elemental Series.

She co-founded the Querytracker blog, The League of Extraordinary Writers, and WriteOnCon. She sits on her community library board, wishes she could eat bacon for every meal, and loves to drive fast.

She's Mom to two busy kids, a teacher of technology to 850 more, and a weekday chef for her family.

Search This Blog

My Books

Buy My Books on Amazon

My Books on Your iPad

Subscribe to Elana's newsletter

* indicates required

Email Address *

First Name *

Last Name *

Email Format

html

text

What People Are Saying About POSSESSION

"Possession held me completely captivated from beginning to end. And what an end! I fell in love with the characters and had countless moments of 'Wow.'"--James Dashner, bestselling author of The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials

“Most [readers] will be drawn in by the love triangle, revelations about Vi and her family, and a dark twist ending that maintains the faintest glimmer of hope.” --Publisher's Weekly

"Who Should Read This: Anyone who wants a challenge: This plot is so twisty, I had to read the last chapter twice before I could believe what happened. There's also a very nice balance between badass action and romantic tension for readers who like a good mix of the two." --MTV.com

“Emotion pumps through every scene of this thriller. Given all the urgency and action, the novel’s ending may surprise readers as the heroic adventure turns into a tragic love story.” –School Library Journal

“If George Orwell's novel 1984 were to have a little stepsister, Johnson's POSSESSION would be her.... It would also be perfect for those who relish a hearty romance mixed in with science fiction....As readers follow the relationship triangle, they will gasp with anticipation wondering which boy she will ultimately choose.” --VOYA